


Happy Birthday Stevie

by Gummiebear



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25066492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gummiebear/pseuds/Gummiebear
Summary: Bucky is back from Wakanda and wants to celebrate Steve's birthday is style.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	Happy Birthday Stevie

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is all so new to me, writing Stucky. I've been lurking for months and never had the guts to write anything until now. I'm still a little nervous to even publish because I've come across come AMAZING writers in this fandom. For some odd reason though this idea would not leave me and needed to be done so it had to be done. So, here it is. Enjoy and please be kind, or not, whatever. Honesty is the best policy.
> 
> [tumblr](http://softestziam.tumblr.com/)

“Steve.”

“Hmm.”

“Steve.”

“Go away.”

“Stevie.”

“Go away,” he repeated with a groan. 

Bucky sighed, smiling. “Fine, old man. Sleep away your birthday and your birthday plans.”

Steve groaned again and reluctantly opened his eyes. Bucky was hovered over him, resting on his right arm, still smiling down at him. “Birthday plans you say?”

“Yes,” he laughed. “I’ve got the whole day planned to perfection and you are not going to ruin it by sleeping the entire day away. I don’t care if you are tired and that you deserve a day off.”

“I’m fine,” Steve mumbled, nuzzling into the warmth of Bucky’s chest. “When was the last birthday we spent together?”

Bucky’s left hand carefully caressed the messy blonde locks of Steve’s hair as he thought over Steve’s question. It had been a long time since they were able to be together like this, the first time they were able to be like this publicly. Before the war and the serum it was all in secret, hidden. Making sure their glances didn’t linger too long and their touches didn’t hold any extra meaning other than friends being friends. It had become a choreographed dance once they reunited in Germany. “Your 23rd birthday, maybe.”

“Now I’m 102,” he hummed, still nestled into Bucky’s chest. 

The realization that Steve was now 102 and Bucky himself was a year older wasn’t lost on him. It was a miracle in its simplest of form but meant so much more. They had been through and conquered so much individually and together. Took down countries and agencies governments just to get to this place. To be able to share a bed comfortably and be able to celebrate Steve’s birthday on a sunny summer day, just the two of them, despite Sam and Natasha complaining about it. Too bad. Bucky had waited lifetimes for this moment. To openly and proudly hold Steve’s hand and have an entire day to themselves. Natasha and Sam had Steve to themselves longer than Bucky had for birthdays and any other celebrations, or just a random Sunday throughout the year. This day belonged to him, to them. He had just gotten back from Wakanda, getting the all clear from Shuri a little less than a month ago, with the promise to check in with her at least once a month or whenever he needed to. Now he was going to make the most of his time, make up for all the years where he lost Steve, lost himself. 

“Up, up, up,” Bucky called to Steve, gently tugging his head away from his chest. “Go shower while I make breakfast. We have a long day ahead of us.”

Steve purred against Bucky’s chest one final time before finally moving, sitting up against the headboard. “What are we doing?”

“No,” he shook his head in response, leaning in to briefly kiss him. “Happy birthday, babe. It’s a surprise. Now go.”

“Fine,” he sighed over-dramatically, eye roll to boot. “Don’t burn the kitchen down, love.”

“Funny,” Bucky called back as he stood up and headed towards the kitchen. “It happened once over eighty years ago, Stevie. Get over it.”

Bucky clanked around the kitchen once he heard the water from the master bathroom turn on, Steve finally getting up and out of bed to shower. He had a plan to make a big breakfast, filling himself and Steve up before they left for their long adventurous day. He wanted it to be over the top to make up for the damn near century together they missed. Homemade waffles with fresh strawberries he picked up the morning before with maple syrup and whipped cream and a few pounds of bacon. Laying low and being semi retired meant neither of them had to be in superhero shape and it was also Steve’s birthday so calories didn’t count. Coffee was being brewed as the skillet got hot while Bucky got all the ingredients together to make the waffles. He was nervous and anxious and excited all in one. It was either going to be an epic disaster and perfect. 

“I smell coffee,” Steve’s voice broke Bucky out of his thoughts. He walked into the kitchen looking and smelling fresh. A towel wrapped around his waist and his skin freshly scrubbed pink. He may have been well into his one hundreds but he didn’t look a day past 27 and that was a plus for Bucky. He got Steve at his prime, got to enjoy all the years that were taken from them. Make new memories in their new bodies to erase all the old ones, not even Shuri and all her science and magic could scrub away. 

“I’ve got coffee and waffles and bacon cooking, fresh strawberries and cream in the fridge as well. Do you want eggs? I can whip up some eggs if you want?” He asked, doing a little twirl around the kitchen to point in the direction of all the items he was rattling off. 

“Bucky, Bucky, Buck, Babe, Sweetheart,” he called to him, bridging the small gap between them to place his hands on Bucky’s shoulders. “Calm.”

“I-I,” he stammered, looking into Steve’s eyes, trying to calm himself down from his inevitable panic. 

“You’re okay,” he reassured him. His eyes scanned the room, the food spread all around the kitchen counters, the island with their plates and cutlery, their coffee mugs. “This is all okay, more than okay. Perfect.”

“I have a lot of time to make up for,” Bucky told him sheepishly, looking down at his feet, their eye contact becoming too much for him. 

“As do I!” Steve was quick to remind him. He moved his hands from Bucky’s shoulders to his face, cupping his cheeks. “I thought you died! I watched you die! You’re here now, we’re here now. We’re Bucky and Steve again and we have so much time ahead of us to make new memories in a new world that will be kinder to us.”

Bucky took a deep breath and nodded into Steve’s hands. He knew he was right and he knew he was overreacting. That’s just one thing time and Shuri could not erase, no matter how many times he had asked her. “Go get dressed while I finish cooking. We have a long, busy day ahead of us.”

Steve looked into Bucky’s eyes and smiled when he smiled back, genuinely. “You okay?”

“I’m okay,” he reassured him, giving him a quick kiss to empathize his point. “Get dressed before my mind decides to fuck our plans and take you back to our bed and just lick you dry.”

“Buck,” he whimpered at the thought, his nails digging into Bucky’s skin. 

“Go,” he grunted between gritted teeth. “Please.”

Steve finally pushed himself away from Bucky with a wounded whine while the older man took a deep shuddering breath to calm himself. He finished cooking the breakfast and setting the table to his own specifications, hearing Steve sing some song from their youth in the next room. It brought such a smile to Bucky’s face that it had almost distracted him which caused him to almost burn the last waffle he was making. It was a good distraction though, a welcomed one. Steve walked back into the kitchen looking like he finally belonged in the twenty-first century which warmed Bucky’s heart. He barely spent any time around the small group of friends but heard enough banter from Sam about Steve’s clothes that he had to side with Sam a lot of the time. If Sam could see Steve now he’d be flabbergasted. Steve emerged from their room in loose running shorts and a white tank top, the perfect picture of summer, making Bucky’s mouth water a little if he was being honest. The towel covered more. 

“Birthday breakfast,” Steve cheered gleefully. 

Breakfast was good, it was everything Bucky wanted and needed it to be. Fulfilling in every aspect of the word. Steve drinking cup after cup of coffee and scarfing down waffle after waffle, drowning them in syrup and cream and popping strawberries in his mouth. Crunching on bacon like he didn’t know when he’d have his next meal, which knowing Steve like Bucky did, would be in just a matter of hours. Stories were shared with warm smiles and even warmer hearts and memories. Bucky loved to hear about Steve’s life after he came out of the ice, it made him feel like he was included. The epic 100th birthday party that Wanda and Sam had thrown for him that made not only national but international news as well. Bucky definitely had to google that later. A part of Bucky knew that if he had never gone to Wakanda these stories would have filled him with rage or even an unhealthy amount of jealousy, but now they didn’t. He was jealous, yes, but more than anything he was happy that Steve had gotten to live as full and as normal a life as possible given the circumstances he was given. 

After every morsel of coffee and food was consumed Steve volunteered to clean up the whole Bucky hopped in the shower to get himself ready for their long adventurous day. His clothes echoed Steve’s, loose and comfortable, typical for a hot summer day that was going to be spent a majority outside, which Steve didn’t know yet. Bucky packed up his bag with things they’d need for the day, making sure Steve was still occupied in the other room. He heard him on the one, thanking whomever called him to inevitably wish him a happy birthday. Lucky Steve was going to be distracted a lot today so Bucky could easily transition from one plan to another without Steve noticing or asking a lot of questions. As they laced up their sneakers by the front door Bucky called for an Uber, another advantage of the twenty-first century that Wanda taught him about. Steve wanted to take either the subway or their bikes but Bucky knew both would give away the surprise quicker and he also wanted Steve to have an easy, catered day. 

“Where are we going?” Steve asked once they got into the blackened out SUV. Yeah, so Bucky splurged for the fancier car. 

“No,” he quickly replied. “I’m not giving in that easy, Stevie. Without traffic we should be there in twenty five minutes, so sit back and relax. Enjoy.”

Steve wrangled his hands in his lap, an obvious sign of anxiety. He hated not having control when it came to his own life. He trusted Bucky completely, always had, always will, but this still caused him a tinge of anxiousness. He never wanted to go into any scenario blindly and right now he was. Looking over and seeing how calm and peaceful Bucky looked did put him at ease, it was beautiful to see. His hair was up and out of his face, a true genuine smile on his face for no real reason at all as he looked out the window at the random side streets their driving was riding past. Homes that had been decorated for the holiday, people walking the street heading to barbecues or parties. Just enjoying the sun and the weekend all wrapped into one. Steve did enjoy the car ride, hand intertwined with Bucky’s so effortlessly and so for no reason at all, just to have some sort of contact between the two of them. They didn’t even talk during the car ride, both of them looking out the window and taking in the world around them when Steve wasn’t answering text messages or phone calls from any and everyone who had his phone number. 

“I smell the ocean,” Steve gasped, eyes and smile wide. 

“Super Soldier smell,” Bucky grumbled, trying to hide his own smile. 

“Buck, are you taking me to Coney Island?” Steve asked, bouncing in his seat like an excited puppy dog. 

“Maybe,” he replied coyly, his cheeks flushed with a blush. Being around a happy Steve always took him back to being a little kid back in the early 1930’s, when nothing and no one worried them despite everything the future held for them. 

“I haven’t been here since before the war!” He exclaimed excitingly, looking between Bucky and the view that was now coming into view ahead of them. “Look at the crowds.”

“Nathan’s now holds a hotdog eating contest each year, Clint told me all about it in graphic detail,” he explained with an eye roll. “Starts around noon so we’ll hit a crowd but we’ll circle back before we leave and grab something to eat, okay?”

Steve’s eyes grew larger as Bucky mentioned the contest. “I should enter it!”

“Steve-Steve no,” he immediately shot him down. “First of all that’s cheating and second of all, I have a plan and that would ruin it so, no, no hotdog eating contest for you.”

Once the car arrived right off the boardwalk and a block away from Nathan’s they exited and both were immediately taken aback about how much had changed in over eighty years. They’d seen pictures and heard stories of what Coney Island had gone through over the decades but to see it in person was breathtaking. The smell of the ocean, the crowds of people, the music coming from the different attractions along the boardwalk. Even the boardwalk was new due to Superstorm Sandy that washed away almost everything nearly eight years earlier. The signs for the aquarium that Bucky most definitely wanted to check out next time they came down to the island, not today though, today they had other plans. 

“So, what first?” Steve asked once they got past the hoards of people and press that were in front of Nathan’s. 

Bucky moved his bag to the front of his chest and opened the small pocket. “The Cyclones have a game at one.”

“Baseball?”

“It ain’t the Dodgers but it’s the closest thing to Brooklyn baseball that we’re gonna see,” he told him with a shrug. 

“I love you,” Steve told him sincerely, kissing him, not giving a damn that they were in the middle of Coney Island on the Fourth of July in the middle of the afternoon. 

“I love you,” he replied, rummaging through his backpack once more, this time pulling out sunglasses and caps for them to wear for disguises and for the sun. He grabbed Steve’s hand and led the way towards the baseball field. 

The small stadium was almost packed by the time they got to their seats, stopping to stock up on baseball game essentials of course. Peanuts and Crackerjacks for them both and beers to wash them down. Everything was expensive but more than worth it. They sat right behind the Cyclones dugout and watched as the Hudson Valley Renegades were on the field for batting practice. It was surreal to see a baseball game in the flesh after so many years. Everything was different but so many things were the same. For a vast majority of the game they were able to remain anonymous, occasionally getting side eyed glances from fans and players alike. It was rather hard to hide a metal arm in the middle of the summer for Bucky and well, Steve was Steve. Disguise or not, he is Captain America, the most recognized man in the entire world. People were polite though, waving or saying hi, no one asking for autographs or pictures, just well wishes and birthday greetings. People were enjoying their day as well and wanted to continue doing so without much hassle. 

Even without any real investment in the game they both enjoyed it immensely. During the seventh inning stretch Steve got up and bought himself and Bucky Cyclones merchandise and declared that they were now fans of the team and were going to try to go to as many games as possible. It was great to see how enthusiastic Steve was getting, and it reminded Bucky so much of their childhood. The two of them pressed in closely to the radio at the Barnes household because Sarah Rogers was working the overnight shift and Steve couldn’t be left alone. Winifred Barnes in the kitchen cooking dinner, Becca doing her homework at the kitchen table complaining about the noise her older brother was making on the floor beside her. The good old days. The days that molded both Steve and Bucky. Now it all felt surreal like it was a lifetime ago but just yesterday, like time had stood still but past by both of them quicker than they had even realized. 

Once the game was over, with the Cyclones winning easily, Bucky dragged Steve by the hand to their next location. Steve went willingly, awed by everything around them, snapping pictures at all they saw. The amphitheater that was built mere feet from the baseball field, small, but big enough to house bands that even Steve was familiar with. He made a mental note to tell Nat and Sam about the upcoming shows he may like to check out in August. He was so distracted by everything he hadn’t realized that Bucky had stopped dragging him. The entire boardwalk was noisy, but it had gotten exceedingly nosier since they had stopped. Steve stopped looking around and looked at what was making the ruckus. The commotion coming from their direct left. 

“Holy sh-“

“Surprise number two, or is this three?” Bucky asked with a laugh. “It’s called Luna Park now and as you can tell it has had a massive upgrade since our day.”

“The Cyclone is still the same,” Steve spoke in wonderment, eyes wide as he looked up at the rollercoaster. Memories were flooding his mind, Bucky and him as kids, literally spending their last dimes to go around and around until they got sick and had no way of getting back home on the train. They either hitched a ride or walked. Either way it was worth it. 

“Gonna throw up this time, Stevie?” Bucky teased. 

Steve narrowed his eyes at Bucky and shook his head. “That’s a lie and slander against my good name, Buck.”

“Let’s go and see who’s lying,” Bucky told him, pulling on Steve’s hand towards the park’s entrance. 

Once the admission fee was paid and they were inside the park both men were overwhelmed by everything around them. The amusement park was massive. Rides and games and people were everywhere. Music was blasting out of every speaker imaginable, some older music they recognized and some modern hits that neither of them truly understood. The smell of the typical carnival food of funnel cakes and corn dogs and saw signs for deep fried Oreos and Twinkies that they promised to try, after riding the Cyclone a few dozen times. The line for the ride was never ending but well worth the wait, hearing the screams and the cheers from the people on the ride of either terror or pure excitement had their adrenaline pumping through their veins. Steve was bouncing on his heels, anticipating their turn to ride the rollercoaster. Bucky was more than proud of himself. Their day was a little more than halfway over and Steve was truly enjoying himself. Just having a normal day. Nothing was worrying or bothering him, and if it was he wasn’t showing it externally. 

When it was their turn to get on the ride Steve was definitely a kid in a candy store, admittedly Bucky was as well. They got in their seats and looked around them, soaking everything in. Taking in the wooden panels of the ride, it had been updated since they were kids but it still felt the same, felt authentic. Hearing the wood make noise under the weight of the ride, anxiety building up in their bellies, anxiety due to the excitement and the unknown. Buckling in their belts, Steve grabbed Bucky’s hand tightly and smiled brightly at him, making Bucky’s stomach knot tightly. He was so overwhelmed and overcome with love and compassion and every sappy word he could think of for this man. He’d spent an entire lifetime loving him, more than half of it not even remembering it but it didn’t matter. He was able to make new memories with him and this was one of the first ones he gotta make that would stay and not be wiped away by HYDRA or Shuri. It was all for him and them. 

“Ready?” Steve asked giddily, his smile still big and wide, child like. 

The ride lurched forward slowly and Bucky’s stomach clenched in anticipation. “Absolutely, Punk.”

The Cyclone was exactly how they remembered it from years ago but also so much better from back then. Technology definitely was used to its advantage but also kept the ride true to its core, its essence. The twists and turns were still thrilling and had your stomach in your throat the entire time, Steve never once letting go of Bucky’s hand and admittedly Bucky didn’t want him to let go. The kids around them looked like they wanted to scream or cry but didn’t want to look afraid around Captain America and Steve caught on fairly quickly to that so he let out a primal scream that set everyone else off on the ride, giving them the okay to let loose, let go of whatever they were feeling. Bucky squeezed his hand once, twice at that, a small silent gesture that he knew what Steve had done and he appreciated it and all that it meant. No matter his size or notoriety or title Steve was still Steve at his core and that would never change. Steve squeezed his hand back once then again, his thumb caressing over his knuckles as they took a sharp turn that almost knocked the air out of their lungs. 

“That was better than I remembered,” Steve huffed out once they exited the ride, his cheeks red from flush. “How were we able to ride that ten times in a row when I was sickly?”

“You were-are-stubborn, Stevie,” Bucky laughed, throwing his arm over his shoulder. “So, asking to go again is out of the question?”

Steve looked up at the ride going along the tracks with the new riders and over a Bucky’s crooked smile. “Not right now, no. Maybe we can try something else, yeah?”

“Course, babe. Whatever you want,” he told him. 

They immediately noticed the small crowd of kids and teens that followed them as they made their way to the next attraction. They weren’t being obvious or annoying so Bucky and Steve just kept walking and let the crowd be. They could hear the excited whispers around them as well. Wondering where they were going next and what they were doing and why they were even at Luna Park. Bucky did tense up once in a while when he could sense the crowd getting too close, feeling a bit claustrophobic, people all around him. Steve could feel the tension oozing off of Bucky but purposely didn’t want to draw any obvious attention to it, but did want to reassure him that he was right by his side, physically and figuratively when and if he needed him. Bucky just nodded his thanks as they continued their walk along the park. 

Luna Park was a joy to be in. The bumper cars were a definite highlight of the day. Kids were lining up to try and crash into Captain America and the Winter Soldier and Steve and Bucky let them willingly. The owner of the ride let Bucky and Steve stay at least ten or twelve times because people were flocking in to see if they could ram into either of them. They had become part of the attraction. To the disappointment of many, after an hour, they finally left the ride. They fuled up on funnel cakes and corn dogs and deep fried everything that was offered, drinking freshly squeezed lemonade. It was such a perfect afternoon. They tried their hand at some carnival games, their super strength obviously giving them an added advantage to everything. They did quite easily win everything, giving the giant stuffed animals to the little kids around them, keeping the cute stuffed koala bears for themselves. Bucky wanted to act all hard and stoic about it but he couldn’t, the stuffed bear was too damn cute to say no to, especially when Steve batted his eyes and begged Bucky to let him keep it. God Steve just knew what to do to get Bucky to cave. Honestly, Bucky would’ve said yes no matter what, he would’ve let Steve keep all the damn stuffed animals if he’d asked. 

They went on a few more rides, the slingshot being the biggest thrill. The moment they were strapped in and they got a smirk from the ride operator they knew they were in heaps of trouble. Two super soldiers who jumped out of planes, trains, and buildings were frightened of being thrown over one hundred and fifty feet in the air at over ninety miles per hour over Coney Island. The thrilling seeking for the day ended after two more turns on the Cyclone. They ended their day at Luna Park on the Ferris Wheel. The sun was setting over the water in beautiful pink and orange colors, and so what if Bucky had planned it that way. He was allowed to be cliche and romantic his first time back in the real world with his mind back. He didn’t know much about the year 2020 but he did know romance had changed much since the 1940’s when sunsets were still breathtaking no matter where in the world he was in. Once they were paused at the top of the ride overlooking almost all of the boardwalk, the sun and its illuminated colors in front of them Bucky knew he had done a good job when he heard a content sigh leave Steve’s lips.

“I’ve got to take a picture of this,” he muttered to him, taking his phone out of his pocket to do just that. “I’ve gotta draw this whenever I get the chance.”

“It is beautiful,” Bucky agreed. 

“Thank you for this, Buck,” Steve said, putting his phone away. “This is by far the best birthday I’ve had since coming out of the ice.”

“You’re just saying that,” he scoffed. 

“No,” he told him. “This is my first birthday with you and even if we did nothing but spent the day in bed watching Netflix I’d love it cause I love you and that’s more than enough for me.”

“We’re not done yet,” Bucky informed him with a sly smile. “One more surprise, birthday boy.”

“Buck,” he gasped. “You don’t have to.”

“I didn’t plan this one,” he explained. “This one is a happy coincidence.”

They enjoyed the rest of the ride, going around two more times before being let off. The crowd around them finally dying down seeing the day was slowly coming to an end and the park was getting ready to close. Like he promised earlier in the day, Bucky did get Steve and himself the world famous Nathan’s hotdogs and french fries to eat before walking onto the beach. Bucky reached into his bag again this time unzipping the bigger part and producing a blanket big enough for the both of them to sit on. He laid it down on the sand and kicked off his shoes before sitting, patting the spot between his open legs for Steve to sit between them. Steven untied his sneakers and slipped them off before joining Bucky on the blanket, rearranging himself a little to get comfortable. He rested his head on Bucky’s chest as they ate in a comfortable silence, enjoying the salty ocean breeze coming from the water mere feet in front of them. It was pretty perfect. 

“Thank you,” Steve whispered into Bucky’s chest. 

“You said that already,” he replied, taking off the hat Steve had been wearing all day, along with the glasses and placing it on the blanket.

“I can’t say it enough,” he told him with a surprised laugh. “This day exceeded any expectations I may have had, honestly.”

Bucky soothed any and all stray hair that got a little crazy under Steve’s hat, kissing the top of his head for good measure. “Good. I’m glad.”

Steve shuffled himself on the blanket and between Bucky’s legs to get an arm around the older man's neck to bring him down for a kiss to really show his appreciation for all that he had done for him. “Love you.”

“You’re ruining my reputation by making me look all wholesome and civilized, Steve,” Bucky joked with a smile. “Dates to a baseball game, followed by an amusement park and ending it on the beach. Thank god I’m no longer a deadly assassin.”

“So deadly,” Steve agreed, his lips hovering dangerously close to Bucky’s. “I’m afraid.”

“Better be,” he whispered, pulling him in again to kiss him. 

If anyone had told Bucky four years ago when he went to Wakanda that he’d be sitting in the middle of Coney Island making out with Steve Rogers on his birthday he’d probably laugh at you. If someone told that to Steve Rogers four years ago he’d probably laugh at you as well. But, now it is happening. They were able to live as normal a life as humanly possible in the twenty first century and as complicated as it was it was also glorious. While everything changed it all just really stayed the same. Things advanced beyond their comprehension at times but at the same time it just took time to readjust and learn. Bucky and Steve were still the same kids from Brooklyn who fought a war in Europe eighty years ago, things may have changed physically but at their core they were still the same and that’s all that truly mattered. No amount of brainwashing from HYDRA and correction from Shuri could wipe out who Bucky is at his core, his essence. 

“What the-“

“Fireworks,” Bucky laughed and wiped at his mouth as Steve abruptly pulled away from their kiss. “It is the fourth as well, love.”

Steve was wide eyed as he turned around and snuggled in close to Bucky’s chest as the fireworks went off above their heads. The past few years he’d only seen Macy's display on tv while out celebrating with the gang or on a last minute Avengers mission, never this up close and personal before. Steve had a feeling Bucky had planned this perfectly, chose this spot on the beach for more than just a place to eat hotdogs and make up. Bucky Barnes was a lot of things but dense was not one of them. The night sky was lighting up with such beautiful colors that it was truly breathtaking. It was the cherry on top of a perfect day. It was the best way to celebrate a birthday with his favorite person in his entire life. A day that reminded him that it was okay to just be Steve Rogers, not Captain America, just Steve, the kid from Brooklyn who had fun from time to time. 

“Best birthday ever,” Steve sighed, pushing himself closer into Bucky for warmth. 

Bucky wrapped his arms tighter around him, bringing him in closer, kissing the top of his head as the booming noises of the fireworks echoed around them. “You deserve it. Happy birthday, Stevie.”


End file.
